The Quarter Quell
by NicNak911
Summary: Kurt and Blaine from District 7 are forced into the Hunger Games during the first Quarter Quell.
1. The Encounter

All was quite in his small home, Kurt was thankful to be back home after a long day's work. Humming as he made his tea he called over to his father, Burt, "Want any Dad?"

"No son, thanks though," Burt called from his comfortable spot on their couch.

Their house wasn't anything special. It wasn't like the shacks in the slum part of District 7 but they definitely were not the wealthiest family either. But they were well off. They were able to have a meal every night and a solid roof above their heads even though Kurt and his father both worked long hours.

Kurt's mother had passed away when he was eight. It was tough at first but Kurt's father took extra shifts at the lumber mill and soon took a higher position. He disliked his job but there was little variety in careers. Each district in Panem specialized in producing certain things the Capital needed; District 7 was lumber.

"How was work today?" Kurt said as he sat next to his father.

"Fine, I guess, had new workers come in today so I was busy teaching them how to not screw things up," Burt sighed. "I don't know what they're thinking. Thirteen and fourteen year olds are too young to be starting in the lumber mill. But I guess they gotta learn some time."

"Any of them cute?" Kurt laughed.

Burt laughed with him, though slightly uncomfortable with the question. Kurt had admitted to him that he was gay only last year, it was going to take a little more time for him to get used to it, even though he was extremely supportive.

"I don't know what you consider 'cute' Kurt…I guess one of them was pretty handsome-"He stopped himself right there because he didn't want to continue the subject. "How was work for you, kiddo?"

"Boring as usual, only shot a couple cats and one bird." Kurt said sipping lightly at his tea. Most men in District 7 became lumberjacks or manhandled the wood, but Kurt had a different job. His job was to climb to the top of the pine trees and shoot anything that would have a threat on any of the other workers. Apart from the occasional wildcat he never had much to do, and he really couldn't talk to anyone either because he was up in the trees. Even if he weren't no one would want to talk to him because of his sexual orientation.

Being a guard was usually a woman's duty because some weren't strong enough to cut down the large pines in the forest. Kurt didn't want to be a lumberjack because he knew it would ruin his hands and his slim figure didn't allow him to lift an axe with ease. He much preferred being a guard shooting animals with his bow and arrow. He found being high in the air, away from everyone else, relaxing. He was given time to himself for daydreaming and writing in his journal.

Even though his journal was the source of his current problem.

The group of lumberjacks he was in charge of protecting last year discovered that he was gay when his pouch fell from his tree with his trusty journal ducked inside. As one of them picked up the bag, the journal fell to the ground. One of the men opened the book up and they saw his various heart drawings with his name and the name of one of the members of their group: Jace.

"HA! Kurt's gay! I always knew he was a fag," the one holding the journal said.

Everyone else had stopped their work and went over to him wanting to see the journal. Kurt called down, telling them to stop, but they couldn't hear him. As he started to climb down the tree, he could hear them through the branches.

"No wonder they put him on guard duty!" one laughed, as the others joined him. "He's such a girl!"

"Hey Jace! Looks like Hummel has a boy crush on you!" A boy named Karofsky yelled over to his best friend who wasn't interested enough to leave his work.

Jace looked over then, the news obviously catching his attention. He looked to Kurt who had finally made it down the tree to grab at his journal.

"Give that back!" Kurt yelled trying to get the journal out of Karofsky's outstretched hand.

"Don't touch me you fairy!" Karofsky retorted as he pushed Kurt to the ground.

Tears were running down his face now, there was no use in hiding them as the rest of the group began to tease him.

Jace had said nothing but he gave Kurt a look of disgust as he looked over the journal. He tossed the book at Kurt's feet and spit at it.

"You can find a new group to guard. I don't need a faggot to protect me," Jace said with such venom it made Kurt winced.

"Leave you fag!" Karofsky yelled at him.

That was encouragement enough as Kurt left running through the forest. He came back home to tell his father everything, and ever since then he had been the outcast of the entire district, but his father always stood up for him. He protected another group now, but things were different.

He was still treated as District 7's faggot. He was the disgrace of his hometown. Everywhere he went, he was pushed, spit upon, sneered at, and was called terrible slurs. Things haven't let up since it occurred last year, it fact, it's been getting worse and bandages were pricy. He didn't know how much he could handle.

Kurt blinked back his tears and looked to his father.

"Everything all right kiddo?" Burt asked, noticing the wet sheen in his son's eyes.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just worried about next week," Kurt replied. This was not a complete lie. The Quarter Quell was next week. Every year every district in Panem had two children selected by a drawing to enter in the Hunger Games, a tournament to the death in which only one could survive. This year was the first Quarter Quell, the twenty fifth anniversary of the first Hunger Games. The Game Makers had said that the Quarter Quell was going to be different than the previous Hunger Games. Kurt, along with the rest of Panem, had no idea what was in store and everyone was nervous.

"Oh yeah, the quarter quell is next week…Well don't you worry son. You're eighteen so this is the last year that your name is in the drawing. Do you know how many young men live here? You'll be fine," Burt said giving his only son a comforting pat on the back.

Truth is, Burt was worried too, but he didn't want to say it in front of Kurt. He didn't know what he would do if he lost his son, he had already lost his wife. He couldn't lose Kurt, he just couldn't.

* * *

><p>Kurt woke up to the sun streaming from his window that hit his eyes. He grumbled as he moved from his bed to get prepared for the day. He grabbed his hunting boots and clothes and put them on slowly. He hated these clothes and he hated everything about his district. Most of the people were terrible homophobes and practically no one cared about their appearance. After living with lumber for all their lives, everyone was huge with muscles and covered with dirt all the time. He seemed to be the only one to care what he looked like. He wished to be in the Capital with all the beautiful clothing and people, although he had to admit the skin-coloring fad was kind of weird.<p>

He knew it was wrong to want to be there. In the capital, that is. The Capital had forced children to fight in the Hunger Games every year all because they were afraid of another revolt like the one that happened in District 13 twenty six years ago. He lost his best friend to the Hunger Games two years ago and he hated them for it. Kurt was nervous and it made him sick to think that kids were forced kill each other, and he might be one of those kids in this "special" Hunger Game.

He left the house strapping his bow and arrow across his back and shouting a farewell to his father who was still getting ready in the other room. He made his way through the main street on District 7, which had the faint smell of woodchips and pine as everyone passed through it, glaring at him along the way. He ignored them the best he could and stopped by the bakery to get some breakfast and then headed down to the woods to start his shift.

"Kurt!" Someone called from behind him.

He turned to find his leader running towards him. He was a tall man with a set of broad shoulders. He was out of breath by the time he reached Kurt, who looked small standing next to him, even though they were of the same height.

"Yes, Garrison?" Kurt asked, somewhat confused as to why he was being approached.

"You've been moved to a new group today, head over to Section 17," he said while scanning his papers.

"Why, may I ask, have I been moved?" Kurt asked, completely confused.

"Your group asked for a change...they um…they said they were uncomfortable with you protecting them…because of… you being…you know…" he muttered.

"Gay you mean?" Kurt snapped back.

"I'm sorry Ku-"

"No you're not. Just tell me what section I have to go to again so I can leave and you can be free of my faggy presence."

"17"

And with that Kurt marched off.

He was tired of people treating him differently because he was gay. So what? Being gay didn't affect his ability to shoot an animal right through the skull with his first shot. He was probably the best archer this district had. Well, you know what. Screw them. If they want to be protected by someone with a less accurate shot, he hoped the archer missed the dangerous wild cats.

When he reached his new group they all stopped their work to look at their new guard.

"Hey it's that Hummel kid," one said as he eyed Kurt up and down with a nasty sneer.

"Isn't he gay?" one of them whispered to his friend on the left.

"It shouldn't matter" one of them said as he sat up from where he was sitting behind a tree.

Kurt hadn't seen him at first but when he did, he was taken aback. He was quite shorter than Kurt, but he had dark brown hair that sat on his head in a set of luscious curls. He had bright hazel eyes and bushy eyebrows that actually worked for him. Unlike practically everyone else in the district, he looked well put together and actually shaved. He even had a bright smile on his face, something Kurt almost forgot what it looked like when it was directed at him. This boy didn't seem to belong in the forest with the rest of the lumberjacks.

"Hi, I'm Blaine," he said as he took Kurt's hand and shook it.

"Um…H-Hi, I'm Kurt" he said still utterly taken aback by Blaine and his behavior.

That was the first time that anyone had stood up for Kurt, besides his father. He never thought anyone in the district would be nice enough not to care. He stared at Blaine as he told the others to introduce themselves to Kurt. Some muttered their complaints as they went up to shake Kurt's hand, but after Blaine's defense for Kurt most of them didn't seem to mind him.

"So our last guard took that tree right there," Blaine said pointing to the tree that was about twenty feet away. "She never climbed up to the top because there are not a lot of animals that come by here, and when one does, we easily kill it from the ground with the bow and arrow or with one of our axes. She usually sat on the ground."

Kurt just nodded unable to respond to him afraid that he would stutter like an idiot.

"So…yeah, you can just hang around down here, it'll be boring but at least you'll have some company" Blaine patted Kurt's back as he walked away.

Kurt stood there frozen for what seemed like ages, but he eventually willed his legs to move to the tree Blaine had pointed out earlier. He took of his bag and set it against the tree and prepared his bow and arrow for anything that might come. He sat down and spent the rest of the day stealing glances at Blaine. Around noon he thought he saw Blaine looking at him, but he blamed it on his imagination.

As much as he willed himself not to, his eyes drifted back to Blaine. He really shouldn't be staring at the boy, no matter how cute or how nice he appeared to be. He was probably just taking pity on Kurt. Developing a crush on a co-worker was a big no-no that he thought he had learned before. There was no doubt in his mind that Blaine would be just as rude as everyone else if he were to find out Kurt had been staring at him all day.

But he just couldn't take his eyes away. Blaine was sweating a lot as he swung his axe at the tree with heavy blows. It was mesmerizing to watch, for with each swing Blaine's muscles tightened and Kurt couldn't help but think what those arms would feel like around him. Blaine's well put together look soon faded away as his whole body was drenched in sweat as the sun beat down from up above. It was not long later when Blaine took off his shirt and Kurt gaped openly at the toned body across from him. He quickly looked away when he noticed that one of the group members were looking at Kurt with disgust.

Shit! You have to be more careful, Kurt scolded himself silently. You will not allow your stupidity to make the one person who has treated you with kindness hate you.

He forced himself to look at an opening in the forest for the remaining time until his shift was over.


	2. The Surprise

The rest of the week continued in a similarly to his first day. He would sit alternate sitting at the base of the tree and climbing half way just for the sake of doing something. No wild animals came around and Kurt was undeniably bored. He half wished he could bring along his journal but didn't want to chance his secrets ever again. Instead, he found little entertainment in sharpening his arrows and counting the ants on a tree limb. Most of his time, however, was spent stealing glances at his fellow coworker.

He sat under his tree in silence trying to avoid the urge to take a peek at Blaine's sweating body. He knew it was wrong to even have these thoughts about a coworker but ever since Blaine had defended him Kurt couldn't help but like him…like him a lot.

During lunch Blaine would always sit next to him and start conversation. Kurt was so shocked the first time it happened that he spilt his water canister all over his chest. Blaine just laughed and offered him his own. They never spoke about anything important, usually about the weather or their hobbies, but it was nice to talk even if it was just for a little while. That particular afternoon they spoke about their families.

"So, I hear your Father is head of the mill on Main Street, is that right?" Blaine asked taking a bite into his turkey sandwich.

"Yeah, he's been head for 8 years now," Kurt replied. He always tried to avoid Blaine's bright hazel eyes because he knew if he looked he wouldn't be able to look away.

"Oh…cool" Blaine seemed unsure of what to say after that. Their conversations never lasted long because they never had much to say.

"What does your Mother do?" Blaine said, trying desperately to continue their conversation.

"Oh…um…My mom's dead," Kurt said looking down into his hands. It had been years since his mother had passed away but the mention of her always brought back those hurt feelings of when he was a kid waiting by the door hoping his mother would return.

"Kurt… I shouldn't have…Sorry," Blaine stammered. He clearly wasn't expecting that answer. He looked away from Kurt, unsure of what to say or do. They sat there in silence for what seemed like hours.

"Don't be," Kurt said ending the awkward silence between them. "It happened years ago, I've come to accept it," he said with a shy smile. That's when he turned his head and looked at Blaine.

There was a flash in Blaine's eyes as they locked their gazes with each other. Kurt could feel the same flash in his own eyes. He stared openly at Blaine then, he didn't want to look away. It only lasted a few seconds before Blaine broke the contact, looking at the grass in embarrassment.

Kurt laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and staring down at the forest floor. Did he just imagine what had happened? He couldn't have because he clearly saw that change of energy in Blaine's eyes…

No. Kurt, no. He is straight! Stop making things out of nothing. He is just being friendly, nothing else. Drop the thought right now.

Kurt looked around at the other members of the group, who weren't paying attention to the two boys sitting on a log very close to each other. Kurt had only noticed their closeness then, and discretely widened the distance between them, making it seem like he was just getting comfortable. Kurt pushed back his light brown hair back from his forehead thinking of a way to forget about what just happened.

"So… What about your family?" Kurt said, definitely avoiding Blaine's eyes this time around.

"What about them?" Blaine said, taking another bite of his lunch and staring off into the distance.

"Well, what do your parents do? Just wondering…"

"My father is a carpenter; he makes a lot of the furniture that's sent up to the capital. My Mother is a guard, just like you, but she's up in section 53," Blaine said, loosening up again as he stretched his legs out.

"Any siblings?"

Blaine tensed up. Kurt could clearly see it because Blaine's shirt was still off, and the sudden tension in his muscles was undeniable.

"I have one. Her name is Camille. She's fifteen and works at the mill out near my Mother in 53."

Kurt recognized the name immediately- Camille Anderson. He hadn't made the connection until that very moment. She was the town cripple. She was born with a disability that made it hard for her to move her limbs. Citizens of District 7 were constantly complaining about the way she would slow production, or when she would break another piece of machinery. Kurt's dad has had to deal with her a couple times to help her get used to the difficult equipment.

Kurt suddenly understood Blaine's earlier reaction. Like they were rude to Kurt, people were also rude to Camille. They often called her cruel names and would bill her for the damages she caused, even though Kurt thought she shouldn't be blamed for them.

"Oh, I know her," Kurt said, trying to continue the conversation because he loved talking to Blaine, no matter what the subject.

"Everyone does," Blaine said coldly. He obviously didn't like the way everyone treated his younger sister.

"She's very nice," Kurt offered, trying to brighten Blaine's mood.

He had met Camille only for a brief moment and he wasn't lying. She was one of the sweetest girls Kurt had met in District 7. She cared about others first, not herself. She had such innocence about her, that he would actually defend her if anything was said, because he knew her oddities weren't her fault.

"You've met her?" Blaine said suddenly interested.

"Yes, I have, she came to my house one day for my Dad to teach her about the new equipment. She's really a sweet girl."

"Yeah I know. She's the best sister anyone could ask for," Blaine said smiling brightly. It was clear that he loved his sister with all his heart and would do anything for her.

"Hey Blaine! Can you come over here for a second?" One of the group members called from across their work area.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be right back Kurt," Blaine said as he got up from his spot on the log. He strode over to the other boy, but took a moment to look back at Kurt and smile.

The boy took Blaine out of sight to talk about something unknown to Kurt, and suddenly one of the workers named Reed made his way to Kurt. He was the one who noticed Kurt looking at Blaine the first day. He strode up, disgust shown clearly in his expression, and leaned in very close to Kurt, poking him harshly in his sternum.

"Listen kid, I don't think you know, but Blaine is straight."

Kurt was taken aback by the hostility in Reed's voice and his close proximity. Kurt gulped shifting himself away from Reed whose expression hadn't changed at all.

"I know that," Kurt answered nervously.

"Then you have to stop making goo-goo eyes at him. Just because he's too nice to say anything doesn't mean that he's not creeped out by your infatuation with him. And since he's too nice, I'm just going to say it in his place. Leave him alone, got it faggot? He already has enough to deal with. Do you think he wants to deal with some fag having a boy crush on him? I'm his best friend, and I know that he's just being nice. Best stop this little crush of yours, or I'll stop it for you." Reed shoved him and walked back to his work area where he began to swing violently at the tree with his ax.

Blaine emerged then from the darkness of the forest and approached Kurt.

"Hey, sorry, Will wanted to map out a new section but he needed my help." He sat down next to Kurt who was unresponsive.

Kurt wasn't sure what to do; he could see Reed and Will staring at them from across the area. They were glaring at him, almost daring him to try something on their friend. He avoided Blaine's look and kept his head turned away.

"Hey anything wrong?" Blaine asked, placing a hand on Kurt's shoulder.

This was the first time that Blaine had touched him. It sent a jolt of energy through him that left a tingling sensation in his spine. He froze for only a split second until he noticed Blaine's hand still rested on his shoulder.

"Yeah…yeah I'm okay," Kurt said quickly, shrugging Blaine's hand off of his shoulder and jumping to his feet. "I- I have to get back to work." He walked towards his workstation and didn't look back to see the look of confusion on Blaine's face.

* * *

><p>That night, Kurt was preparing dinner for his father and him. He replayed lunch in his head. He couldn't shake the thought of Blaine just being too nice to say anything to Kurt. Half of the time, Blaine was the first one to sit next to him, to start the conversation, and to smile at him. If he was so creeped out by him, then why did Blaine do all that instead of just ignoring him? He didn't want to believe Reed but it was hard to think of anyone with a heart living in his district half of the time. Who's to say that Blaine's not just like everyone else?<p>

While Kurt stirred the carrot soup, his father walked through the door looking exhausted as ever. Kurt knew that Burt had a lot more work now that the Hunger Games were near. The capital always demanded some ridiculous amount of wood products during the Hunger Games, although Kurt wasn't really sure what they were used for.

"How was work today Dad?" Kurt asked, already knowing the answer.

"The usual," Burt replied, stripping off his boots and placing his cap on the wooden hook near the front door.

"How about your day?" he asked taking a seat at the table as he watched his son reach into the cabinets for their old bowls.

"Oh you know…" he started as he poured the soup into two bowls. "Boring all the same… but I think I'm making a new friend though." Kurt placed the bowls on the table. He chose not to mention Reed to his father, because he knew Burt would be furious.

"That's great, Kurt!" Burt said taking a sip of his carrot soup. "What's his name?"

"Blaine…Blaine Anderson" Kurt answered with little enthusiasm, unsure of what his father's reaction to the name would be.

Burt coughed on his mouthful of soup. "Anderson? As in James' Anderson's son? The biggest homophobe in the district?" Burt asked, his eye narrowing. "You sure this kid is safe? I mean, his father is one of the rudest men I have ever met. I went over to his house to help his daughter out and he kicked me out, telling me he didn't want a 'homo raiser' in his house!"

"Dad, he's not like his dad. He's…"

"He's nice to you and everything? He hasn't done anything to you has he?" Burt interrupted.

"Dad! He hasn't done anything. He's really nice, and he's been defending me." Kurt said. "He's not like everyone else, I swear."

"Really? Defending you how?"

"Well, in lots of ways. Like, the first day, one of the members of our group was asking if I was the gay one, and Blaine stood up and said it shouldn't matter if I was gay or not," Kurt said smiling back at the memory of his first time seeing Blaine. "And we eat lunch together every day. He's no bully, dad."

"Well I'm glad that there's someone out there that gets it," Burt said and returned to his soup, slurping greedily.

It was at that moment when the television suddenly turned on, casting an eerie glow across the room as the seal of Panem flashed on the screen.

"I didn't know that there was a mandatory show for us to watch scheduled for today," Kurt said as he strode over to their couch to watch the screen.

"…There wasn't," Burt said taking his spot next to Kurt, suddenly nervous.

The seal of Panem stayed on the screen for another minute or so until Caesar Flickerman, the young television host, appeared smiling at the camera that could be seen in the reflection of his brightly colored eyes. He smiled more as the applause from the audience slowly faded.

"Hello, Panem! I know that this viewing comes as a bit of a surprise to all of you, it does to us too!" The audience laughed at this. Caesar Flickerman, was one of the most positive and well-liked people in the Capital. He was the host of the Pre and Post Games interviews with the tributes and their families during the games. Every year he colors his hair, eyelids, and lips. This year for the first Quarter Quell he colored his features a dark purple.

"I know you are all looking forward to the Quarter Quell next Monday! Let me tell you now it will be filled with many surprises! The first surprise will be revealed today in this unscheduled show." He made his way to the seat that was positioned in the middle of the stage next to a larger chair about the size of a love seat.

"Tonight, I have two of the Game Makers here, and they have something to announce to the districts of Panem regarding the Quarter Quell."

With that one of the Game Makers stood up to make his announcement. He was large and beefy with a no-nonsense blank stare. Kurt couldn't help the feeling in his stomach as he suspected something terrible was about to happen.

"For the first Quarter Quell to remember the 25th anniversary of the destruction of District 13 we have created a special process in which the children will be chosen to compete in the games." Everyone in the audience made noises of excitement.

"The Game Makers have decided," he continued, "to not let the selection be left to chance, but to put it in the hands of the adults." Everyone in the audience was slightly confused by this announcement.

"The adults of each district will have one week to decide which girl and boy they will send into the Hunger Games. The decision, of course, does not have to be unanimous, but the children with the majority of votes will be sent to fight against the other tributes in the arena." The Game Maker sat down. There was silence among the crowd until someone yelled.

"What an amazing idea!"

Others began to join.

"This is going to be the best Hunger Games ever!"

The cheers continued as Caesar looked at the camera and said,

"Well there you have it, districts! You have until next Monday to decide which one of your children will have the honor to fight in the Hunger Games! Good luck and I'll see you soon!" He winked at the camera and the television went black.

The two Hummel men sat there in silence, just staring at the blank television screen.

Burt swore loudly and jumped to his feet. He grabbed ahold of one of the kitchen chairs and smashed it against the wall, cursing more and more. Kurt remained frozen in his seat. His mouth was half open in shock as his eyes stayed glued to the television. He felt warm arms wrap around his shoulders. His dad hugged him tightly to his chest and, for the first time in years, Kurt heard his father cry. Kurt cried with him.

The same idea was running through both of their minds. There were absolutely no alternatives, no ifs or buts.

Kurt was going to be sent into the Hunger Games.


	3. The Decision

Kurt and Burt decided to forgo work the next day. They both knew that the next few days would be the last moments they would be able to spend together and, considering the situation, their jobs just didn't seem to matter. His father was never two feet away from his side as he cooked, cleaned or relaxed on the couch. Neither of them said much, but Kurt could see the tears brimming in his father's eyes as he watched Kurt go through his daily activities. It took all of Kurt's will power not to burst into tears himself.

As he lied in his bed that night, with his father away at the Hunger Games meeting, Kurt stared at the ceiling and finally let the tears that he held back all day flow down his cheeks. He never really thought of his death before. He knew residents of District 7 did not have an extremely long lifespan but there were a few who were able to make it to eighty or ninety. Kurt was one of the more fit citizens. Growing up on a strict budget did not allow for any sweets or any fattening foods. He always ate healthy foods and worked out regularly. After seeing many of the boys eat their weight in sweets sold by the cute baker's daughter down the road, Kurt knew he was going to outlive them by a good few years. He had the idea in his head that he would live until he was at least sixty.

But now his death was only a short few weeks away- if he was that lucky, of course. What does one do when they know they only have a limited amount of time left? Kurt imagined most would do the things they've wanted to do their whole life. The only thing he wanted to do was to fall in love and be loved in return. There was absolutely no chance of that happening anytime soon. Kurt sighed and buried his face into his pillow. Now that he thought about it, he probably had no chance of being loved even if he was sixty. Maybe it would be better if he just died already…

His dad's face flashed across his mind and suddenly Kurt wanted to cry all over again. He knew that this was worse for his father than it was for him. If he died, he died. He didn't believe in God or any sort of afterlife, so when he was gone that would be it, no more pain, no more sorrow, no more anything. But his father would still be here. It was Burt who would have to live by himself, mourning the loss of the two people he loved most in the world. His father would still hurt.

He knew that he shouldn't, but Kurt blamed himself for everything. If he hadn't wrote in that stupid journal then no one would know he was gay and all would be normal. Before, people had still treated him differently, but at least they weren't willing to send him to death. They weren't blatantly mean. No one had hurt him or threatened him. Life was good, and he ruined it with that stupid journal.

Kurt heard the front door open and then immediately slam shut. His father was home, and he knew exactly how that meeting went. Kurt knew that his father was doing everything he could, even though they both know it was useless.

There was a sudden crash of glass shattering and Kurt jumped up immediately, wiped his tears quickly, and entered their dully-lit living room.

His father was bent over a shattered lamp, cursing and carefully trying to gather the pieces together. Kurt kneeled down to help him in silence. Burt snatched the pieces from him, threw all of them into the garbage and walked across the room to the window that overlooked the woods. Kurt bit at his bottom lip as his father continued to stare outside and completely ignore him.

"Just tell me Dad," Kurt whispered.

Burt didn't respond.

"Please, dad. I know what they said so just tell me…"

"Do you really want me to say it Kurt!" Burt yelled at him as he spun around, tears starting to pool in his eyes.

"You already know what happened! I can't change their minds! It was unanimous! The decision has already been made! There won't even be any more meetings before the reaping! I'm going to lose you, son…. and I can't do anything about it," Burt collapsed on the couch with his face in his hands.

Kurt hurried to his father's side and hugged him tightly. "Dad….I promise, that I will try my absolute best to come back…and if I don't I will go down fighting. I will show these people that you can't mess with a Hummel. You may not be able to do anything but I can….I will show them Dad."

They sat there hugging each other close, and for the second night in a row they cried themselves to sleep.

* * *

><p>The rest of the week was spent at home. Neither of them went to work and they spent their last week together sitting in a comfortable silence they always could share. When Reaping Day appeared, Kurt and Burt had resigned to the fact that there was nothing they could do now but hope that Kurt would be able to outlast the other tributes and make it home.<p>

They walked together to the center of town with Burt's large arm slung proudly over Kurt's slight shoulders. They walked past the other citizens of District 7, some chose to ignore them, a few gave Burt sympathetic looks, while most looked at Kurt with sly smiles. They knew they were finally getting rid of the district gay.

Parents and children were separated at the square and normally parents and children would be sobbing together before the Peacemakers would tear them apart. This year, the parents knew their children would be safe so there were no needs for goodbyes. Kurt and Burt reached the square and were the only ones in the farewell area. They knew that this would be their last moment together without the pressure of cameras and Kurt's trainer rushing him into the train that already waited at the station.

They hugged each other tightly as Burt whispered "I love you" into Kurt's ear.

Tears were falling from Kurt's eyes as he held his father closer.

"I love you too, Dad. You are the best father anyone could ever ask for. I love you so much."

They broke apart, and Burt stood arm's length away holding Kurt's shoulders and looking him straight in the eye.

"Give 'em hell," he said giving a slight smile and Kurt smiled back. "Come back to me."

"I will."

With those final words they parted, each heading to their designated area for the Reaping. As soon as he reached his spot, the Reaping began. The District governor stepped up to the stage in front of the courthouse.

The Governor looked like a stereotypical lumberjack. He had the beard, the hair, the muscles and the height. Instead of his normal flannel and overalls, he was dressed up for this occasion, because it was to be broadcasted to the rest of Panem. His hair was actually combed and he wore the same fake grin he wore every year, because he himself had children and it was a known fact in the town that he hated the Hunger Games. He reached the podium on the center of the stage and took out the cards the Capital sent him to read.

"Hello citizens of District 7 welcome to the 25th Reaping for the Hunger Games. As you know this year was the 25th Anniversary of the destruction of District 13, and to remember this event this year is our first Quarter Quell. As you all know it was the decision of the parents this year to decide which children would receive the honor of representing District 7 in this year's Hunger Games."

Kurt has heard the same speech all his life, so he didn't pay attention. He knew what was going to happen, so why even pay attention? He took a look around at the people around him; most of them were staring at him. It seems as if they all knew too. It was when he took a look behind him that he saw Blaine looking at him with sad eyes. Blaine raised his hand with his thumb, index, and middle finger up, while the other two stayed down- the typical District 7 sign of farewell.

Kurt didn't understand why Blaine would make this gesture towards him. It wasn't like they knew each other well, and he didn't think that Blaine would care that much that Kurt was going into the Hunger Games. Kurt returned the gesture with a small smile and turned back to the stage.

The Governor was now announcing the children chosen to be tributes.

"The male chosen to represent District 7 in the Quarter Quell is…" He stretched out the 'is' as he opened the envelope that contained the tributes name.

"Kurt Hummel."

There were no shocked gasps or hysterical cries that normally occurred when a name was read. Everyone silently stared at Kurt as he made his way to the stage, his head up and his eyes dry. He stood next to the Governor and allowed the District to take a good look at him, the boy they themselves condemned to death. He waited as the Governor began talking about the female tribute.

Kurt was somewhat curious what female they chose to send to the Hunger Games with him. Burt told him that it wasn't right for him to say anything because the parent of the child had chosen not to tell her. So no one in the district, besides the parents, knew which female would join Kurt.

Kurt turned his attention to the Governor as he read the decision of the parents.

"The female chosen to represent District 7 in the Quarter Quell is…Camille Anderson."


	4. THe Exception

**A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you all for all your wonderful comments before this chapter. You guys really do motivate me to keep writing. **

**I just noticed that I haven't given credit where it is due, my friend Christine (****lawlipopscile on tumblr) has been helping me write this story, I write the main plot and then she revises…so… check her out. **

**I don't mean to make any of you cry, but I cried writing this so be warned.**

* * *

><p>"NO!"<p>

Kurt only just recognized the voice when Blaine darted out of the crowd, grabbing onto his sister's hand as she made her way to the stage. Camille latched herself to her brother, crying openly on his chest. He hugged her close, whispering into her hair to stay where she was, and slowly untangled her arms. Camille tried to embrace him again but Blaine was walking quickly up the stage stairs. Up close, Kurt could clearly see the anger in Blaine's eyes through his tears.

"How could you!" he yelled, pointing to his father then glared at the rest of the adults. "How could any of you? How could you send her into the games like that! She has no chance! NONE!" Blaine's voice cracked during the last word.

Blaine looked back at his father. Kurt could almost feel the animosity radiating out of his friend. "And you! You sorry excuse for a father! Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell her? Doesn't she deserve to know that she was being led to slaughter? What kind of father does that? Oh I know, a father who does this…" Blaine hitched up his shirt to reveal a large black and yellow bruise forming on his stomach.

"You see this! You did this, you bastard! And don't you think for one second that I don't know you do the same to her! She is your daughter and I am your son! You have no right to abuse us this way! I know you are ashamed to have us as children but at least have the _decency_ to tell us that you are sending her to her death! I can't believe you!" Blaine suddenly stopped, the only sound he made were short breathless pants. His eyes grew wide as if he just realized the big picture. "You… You voted for her too…didn't you? You fucking bastard! You condemned your own daughter to death! How do you feel about that, huh? How do you feel that all of Panem knows that you would willingly kill your own daughter?"

Blaine's father, a splitting image of an older version of his son, lowered his head and walked away through the crowd, his mother trailing meekly behind. The crowd parted to let them through, but they all gave them looks that said, "How can you hate your own children?"

"Yeah, just away! You coward!" Blaine screamed hoarsely at his father's back. Kurt was not sure if his father heard him or not but he made no motion that he did.

Blaine breathed heavily for a few seconds and locked eyes with his tearful sister. He spun around to face the governor. "Sir please!" he begged desperately. "There must be some rule that allows family members to take each other's place! Please, sir, you can't honestly allow her to go! They'll kill her in a second! Please… My sister is all that I have, sir. I have to protect her."

"Blaine, my boy, the rule is that only a person of the same sex can take the place of a tribute, regardless of connection. We must have one boy and one girl from each district," The Governor said sympathetically, placing a hand on Blaine's shoulder. He gave him a sorrowful frown. "There is nothing I can do."

Blaine shoved his hand off his shoulder, unable to stand the touch of someone who has announced that his dear sister would be sent to death. "Well, change the rule! Make an exception!" Blaine said, screaming at the cameras that were broadcasting this event to all of Panem, and, hopefully Blaine thought, the President and the Gamemakers. "I'll take any handicap, I won't go to training! I won't show the Gamemakers my talent! I'll do _anything_. Let me take my sisters place! Please!"

There was silence everywhere. The crowd was shocked and the Governor had nothing to say. Blaine looked helplessly at Kurt. He had never seen Blaine like this. His friend was always such a happy boy with a smile on his face and his eyes gleaming. To see him a sobbing, desperate mess did not match Blaine at all and Kurt hated it. He hated to see Blaine so distraught and he wished he could see a smile on his face, if only for one last time.

"I'll take a handicap too if it allows Blaine to take his sisters place," Kurt said, stepping up to join Blaine. He knew that this would worsen his chances of returning to his father, but the idea of saving one innocent life was enough. He chanced a look over to see his dad in the center of the crowd, and Kurt was surprised to see a look of pride on his father's face.

"Let the boy take his sisters place!" Burt yelled from the crowd. Everyone turned to look in surprise. "This is a tribute who has volunteered! They have even offered to opt out of things that could help them in the games! Let him go!"

It was Burt's sudden outburst that leads the rest of the adults to join him. There were a few shouts here and there for Blaine to take Camille's spot. Soon enough the whole town was in support of Blaine replacing his sister. It was then when a projector lowered down to cast an image of the president on the walls of the courthouse.

President Figgins, an Indian man with a heavy accent, had grown old. He become president at the age of fifty during the first few years of the Hunger Games. He coughed into his handkerchief and looked into the camera.

"Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel, you have both shown great bravery for offering to take a handicap so that young Camile Anderson may stay safe. You have captivated the hearts of your district, and the rest of Panem. The Gamemakers have decided to allow Mr. Anderson to take Camille's place in this year's Hunger Games."

Kurt heard Blaine let out a sigh of relief beside him. He heard the stairs squeak and saw Camile running onto the platform and into her brother's arms.

"As you know your district has three tributes who have won the Hunger Games in the past. Normally, all three would become your mentors in this year's Games, but because you have both offered to take a handicap, we decided to only allow one to mentor you. You have both lost the chance of years' worth of experience in order to save young Miss Anderson. I wish you both the best of luck." With those last words the image disappeared and the district was left in silence.

The Governor turned both Kurt and Blaine to face the crowd. He allowed them all to look at the two boys who might die in the next couple of weeks then said:

"Citizens of District 7 I give you our tributes!"

There were no cheers, not even tears, but slowly one by one the citizens of their district raised their hands in farewell. Kurt and Blaine returned the gesture, and were suddenly rushed off the stage.

* * *

><p>At the train station they were allowed to have one last goodbye. Kurt and his father had already had theirs, but Kurt needed to talk to his father one last time.<p>

"Dad!" he said as he spotted his father struggling in the crowd of people.

"Son! I'm so proud of you, you know that right?" he said placing a hand on his sons shoulder one last time. Kurt smiled. "I want you to tell Blaine not to worry, after you leave I'm going to take Camille to live in our house. I won't allow her father to hurt her anymore."

"Dad…"

"There's nothing to say Kurt. I will take care of her and we will both watch you give the others hell. Just remember: you're a smart kid with a good head on your shoulders. Not many others kids are the same. Good luck, son. I love you"

They didn't hug that time, and Kurt watched as his father turned and disappear into the crowd. With a heavy sigh, Kurt spun around and headed toward the train that would lead him away from his hometown into a new and crazy world. He could see Blaine holding his sister tightly and whispering in her ear. The train whistle blew and Kurt could see the Peacemakers ripping Blaine away from his sister and forcing him into the train. Kurt could see the tears running down her face and he could hear Blaine yell, "I love you, Camille! Don't forget that!"

The same Peacemaker that tore apart Blaine and Camille appeared behind Kurt. "Faggot," he said gruffly and shoved him into the train. He stumbled right into his fellow tribute. Blaine caught him with his strong arms and helped him regain his balance. Kurt turned to take one last look out of the sliding doors, hoping to catch one last glimpse of his father, before they closed shut and they lurched forward toward the Capital


	5. The Beginning

This was it, Kurt thought. We're on our way. The train was moving so quickly and their hometown was disappearing faster than he had imagined it would. Soon, there was nothing but grass fields as the train sped out of District seven and toward the Capital.

Kurt looked over to Blaine, his one and only companion in this mess, and saw the tears threatening to fall from his golden eyes. Blaine had sacrificed a lot in the course of an hour. His abusive father, his neglectful mother, his caring sister, his friends, and his home- they were all gone now. Kurt knew he was putting up a brave front for his sister and he also knew that Blaine did not want to look like a weakling in front of all of Panem. Blaine felt closer to Kurt now more than ever after his help and he wasn't afraid anymore to show his feelings.

Kurt wanted to say something, do something to comfort his friend, but as he reached out to him, he heard fast approaching footsteps coming from around the corner.

"Stop your tears, you vertically challenged buffoon! Tears are for the weak! So unless you are crying over the bush of fur you foolishly allowed to sit upon your head, there will be no tears. Especially when you have someone as wise and as great as myself coaching you. Stop your blubbering already!"

Kurt had never seen the woman in person before but he knew a lot about Sue Sylvester and, really, who didn't? She was the champion of the first ever hunger games, twenty-five years ago when she was eighteen. She was tall, around six foot three, had short cut dirty blonde hair and she always dressed like she was about to go work out. He had seen from the previous Hunger Games that she was absolutely terrible to the tributes and she was known for her mean and straightforward persona. She was a winner and was going to stay that way. Hopefully she would help Kurt win these games.

"I told you to shut it, triangle brows. You chose this. Now follow me to the dining area." With that she walked off quickly down the long thin hallway.

Kurt and Blaine rushed down the hallway in silence. Kurt peeked over at Blaine just once to see that he had stopped crying and put on his tough face yet again. Kurt could tell he wouldn't let his guard down again anytime soon, especially around Sue.

Sue led them to a closed door where she turned to meet the two boys to say something before they entered.

"You are going to meet our chaperone and style team now. I had a saying in them myself so you bet your fat asses that these are the best people of the group. I wouldn't have it any other way. Play nice with the chaperone and make her happy. And if you don't I'll send down a vicious cat with rabies as a gift during the games."

She opened the door that lead to a dimly lit room with a large table covered with an assortment of delicious foods. The food was looked so much better than the grime Kurt prepared at home. He usually cooked soup because that's all he and his father could afford to make so the large turkey that sat on the middle of the table looked very appealing. Kurt glanced at Blaine and noticed that he had the same look of amazement he wore himself.

"What are you girls staring at? Sit down and eat as much as you can, the extra weight will help you in the arena when you don't have much to survive on," Sue said as she pulled out her chair that was placed right in front of the large turkey.

Kurt and Blaine made their way over to their seats; they sat next to each other directly across from Sue.

"I thought you said that our chaperone and our prep team would be here," Kurt said as he placed his table napkin on his lap and began to place food on his plate.

"Sue Sylvester does not lie. They will be. There's something about those walking rainbows that like to be fashionably late. It pisses me off. The way I see it is that if you show up on time, you're late." Sue replied taking a large chunk out of her turkey leg.

After that comment the three ate in silence. The food was absolutely delicious. Never in his entire life had Kurt tasted such good food before. He made sure to try a bit of everything, the turkey, the mashed potatoes, the roast beef, the cream of broccoli soup, even sugary cakes. They were all so good. It wasn't before long until his stomach felt like it was being stretched. It hurt. Kurt rubbed his aching stomach. Was this what it was like to be full? He had never had enough food to completely fill his stomach before- only enough to stop his stomach from growling. If this pain was what it felt like to be full, he'd rather be hungry.

Hoping to ease his stomach, Kurt reached for the jug to pour himself another glass of water at the same time as Blaine. Blaine's hand grabbed Kurt's by accident and Blaine laughed but didn't pull his hand away. He gave Kurt's hand a squeeze with a slight smile and then finally let go so Kurt could pour himself a drink.

That moment, although he knew Blaine was straight, gave him butterflies in his stomach. He loved the feel of Blaine's touch on his hand, how Blaine was so warm and how his hand could fully surround his. He wished he could grab Blaine's hand again just to have that warmth one more time.

Kurt was daydreaming about Blaine when three colorful people walked through the door. One, who Kurt assumed to be the chaperone, held clipboard in her hand and paid no attention to the others in the room. She had fire red hair and purple cat-like eyes and a skin colored a light orange. She was much shorter than the others but she gave off a sense of authority, which the others obeyed.

Kurt, after taking in the initial shock of the chaperone, looked at her clothes and tightened his lips in jealousy. She wore a beautifully tailored suit that shimmered blue and yellow from a distance. The suit jacket was slightly open to reveal a golden tattoo on her chest that he had noticed the other two people had as well.

The other two, a boy and a girl, had to be the style team and they both looked stunning to Kurt. Unlike the chaperone they had no skin coloring and their hair was colored a very appealing yellow. They looked flawless with their perfect skin and beautiful clothes and Kurt envied them

Kurt looked over to Blaine to see that he was not as impressed by the three who had entered the room. He seemed particularly disgusted by the chaperones skin color and looked away. The chaperone took her seat at the table and proceeded to ignore the rest, looking at her clipboard to know the next day's schedules.

"Hello Kurt, Blaine," One of the stylists nodded towards the two boys. "My name is Ferin, and this is my sister Brissa." He moved his sister forward as he made the introductions.

"We will be your stylists for this year's Hunger Games and we are so excited to make you both presentable to the rest of the Panem," he said before taking a seat.

"It's so nice to meet both of you," Brissa said in a shy voice as she sat down next to her brother and began putting food on her plate.

"Whatever weird colors or feathers they want to put on your face, you let them. Got it porcelain?"

Kurt assumed that Sue was talking to him because Blaine was actually quite sun kissed due to the amount of time he spent outside, out of the shade of the trees Kurt usually had. Kurt didn't understand why Sue would have to tell him this, if he had to be excited about one aspect of the Hunger Games it was the clothes…. but the fact that he was to die in them was a put off. He just nodded at Sue and continued to eat.

"Sorry for not introducing myself before, my name is Scarlet, you might have gotten that from my hair color. I am the District 7 chaperone, and I actually need one of you men to win this year so do as I say. We need to stay on schedule, start training, begin wardrobe ideas, discuss interview questions, and decide what you will show the Game Makers," Scarlet said in a very no-nonsense tone as she looked over her list that was neatly printed on clip board.

"Seems an awful lot doesn't it? Why don't we just go in and fight?" Blaine said with a snappy attitude. He was already angry enough about being in the Games, he didn't want to listen to or do anything else. He saw no point in it if he was going to die anyway.

"I told both of you sorry excuses for tributes to listen to her. She knows what she's doing. Apparently you're too stupid to know anything so let me tell you. Your appearance, the interviews, and the judging will affect you in the arena. So first of all we need to tame that mop head of yours and teach you how to not sound like the complete idiot I know you are," Sue said taking another sip of her wine and staring at Blaine with entertained eyes.

Scarlet cleared her throat and continued, "Yes, Sue is right, we have a lot to do tomorrow and if we don't get it done the President will have my head. So finish your dinner and get to your rooms, we have an early day tomorrow. The Avoxs will help you in the morning."

Both Kurt and Blaine stood up and headed towards the door. "When will we get to the Capital?" Blaine asked when they reached the door.

"Around five in the morning. Get rest, you'll need it." Scarlet said with a small apologetic smile.

"You both better be up at 4:30. If you aren't I will burst into your rooms and set a stray dog on you. Got it?" Sue yelled as they walked down the hallway.

"Scarlet, Ferin, and Brissa seem nice," Kurt said as they made their way to the third car that contained their bedrooms.

"Yeah, for people from the Capital they don't seem that bad. Though Scarlet's face kind of scares me." Blaine forced a laugh as he began to open his door, which was right across from Kurt's.

Kurt pretended to laugh with him, "Speaking about scary, I think Sue is out to get us."

"Nah, she really just wants one of us to win…. So she'll have to be a bit tough."

"A bit?" Kurt leaned against his door frame not wanting to end his conversation with Blaine.

Blaine smiled slightly, "Okay, she'll have to be really hard on us."

"That's seems more correct, we should probably head to bed or she'll be sending the hounds."

"Right…Goodnight, Kurt."

"Goodnight, Blaine." Kurt entered his room and went straight for his bed.

He had so little sleep from the past week from crying he felt like he could sleep for years. He slipped off his shoes, and laid on his back to look at the ceiling of the moving train. He didn't know when but he eventually fell asleep to witness the nightmares that occurred in his dreams.

Minutes, or maybe even hours later he was woken from his restless sleep from a knock on the door. He got up quickly hoping that it wasn't Sue waking him up for being late. He quickly rushed to the door and opened it slightly.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, just barely able to make out his face in the darkness.

There was no response from him and Kurt was curious as to why he even knocked on his door. Eventually Kurt heard Blaine's hushed voice rush from his lips.

"Can I come in?"


	6. The Ride

"Yea sure" Kurt said in a hushed whisper as he let the shorter boy into his dark room.

Kurt went to go turn on the lights when Blaine grabbed him by the arm, " No don't turn on the light they might come in wondering why we are awake." Blaine said still whispering, afraid they might be caught. He wasn't completely sure what would happen if they were but he didn't want to take any chances.

"Ok…" Kurt said moving towards his bed on the right side of his neatly organized room. "So why did you want to come here? Is there something the matter?"

"No, no. Kurt, I just wanted to say thank you." Blaine said sitting close next to Kurt, a little closer than most friends would usually sit. Kurt could feel the heat radiating off of Blaine's body. Kurt made sure to take notice that Blaine was in a tight wife beater and loose pajama pants.

"For what?" Kurt questioned, he wasn't sure why Blaine was thanking him, he had done nothing special for him that required a thanks.

"For…everything." Blaine said taking a deep breath as he looked up at Kurt through his long eyelashes. Even in the darkness Kurt could see them shine.

"Kurt, that moment, when you offered to take a handicap… No one has ever done anything so nice for me. Ever." Blaine moved his hand to cover Kurt's, which sent a jolt of electricity up his spine. "So I just wanted to thank you. If there is anything to be happy about today, it's the fact that I get to spend it with a true friend."

Kurt let out a small gasp, he never thought Blaine considered him a friend. Sure, he thought, they had conversations during work, they had their little jokes, but he always thought that they were just acquaintances.

"Kurt, you are the bravest person I have met. It's an honor to fight beside you these games." Blaine patted Kurt's hand and began to head back to the door. Just as he was about to leave Kurt calls,

"Beside?"

"Well yea, I mean if you want to. I think it would be better to stick together in the beginning, don't you?"

"Yea, I think that's a good idea. We'll stick together."

"So it's a deal then?"

Kurt nodded with a small smile, and Blaine returned the smile as he turned to leave the room and leave Kurt alone in the darkness. Kurt fell back onto his bed with his smile clear on his face, he never thought that he would be happy during the games, but Blaine seemed to prove him wrong.

"It's a deal" he whispered towards the ceiling as he slowly drifted away into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, Kurt was awaken by an Avox that entered his room suddenly. She turned on the lights and began to lay out Kurt's wardrobe for the day. Kurt rubbed his eyes trying to remember where he was. As he slowly began to remember his surroundings, he recalled everything that happened the night before. How Blaine entered his room. How they had sat so close. How they made the deal to fight beside one another. Kurt began to smile again as he pulled on his clothing for the first day in the capital. The shirt and pants fit very tight to his body, but they still allowed him to move, they must be training that day because these clothes were obviously made for physical activity, something Kurt was not looking forward to.

Once Kurt had finished getting ready in his room he opened his door to make his way to the dinning room. As he opened his door he saw Blaine on the other side of the hallway exiting his room as well.

"Hey! How'd you sleep?" Blaine said in an excited tone, he seemed happy to see Kurt again this morning.

"Good, how about you?" Kurt smiled down at Blaine as they walked down the hallway. Quickly Blaine pulls Kurt to the side before they entered the dining room.

"I'm sorry about last night," he said looking straight up into Kurt's brilliant blue eyes and moved closer, "I just needed to tell you when there weren't people watching."

Kurt was dumbstruck when Blaine moved so close that he could see the different colors in his bright eyes. He tried to get his words out but he stammered a little, and Blaine moved back giving him a questioning look.

"Yea.. no, I, yea I get it, don't worry Blaine."

Blaine smiled up at him before moving away towards the dinning room. When they opened the doors they saw the multitude of people preparing for the arrival to the capital. People rushed back and forth from one side of the room to the other, grabbing some of the food along the way.

They were about to sit themselves down when Sue approached them, "Good you baboons are awake. We are training today, so be prepared to sweat. I don't want to hear crying from you Hobbit, and Porcelain I don't want to hear any whining."

Kurt was about to protest, but Blaine put his hand on his shoulder to cut him off, "Yes we understand Sue, we'll try our hardest."

"I like the change in attitude, I'll see you both in the practice arena. 5:30 sharp. Got it?"

"Yes mam" they both replied as she left the room with a sense of purpose.

As they ate the assorted array of food, they looked out the window to see the train pulling into the Capital. It was a beautiful sight, unlike the rest of Panem it was colorful, full of life. People seemed to always have something to do as they hurried down the cobblestoned paths surrounded by the vast amount of golden buildings. There were televisions on nearly every block for the people to see updates on the Hunger Games, for it was their favorite event of the year in the Capital.

Kurt looked over at Blaine to see fear written clear upon his face. It was obvious that he did not enjoy the view of the city, much less finally arriving to the start of the Hunger Games.

"You ok?" Kurt asked.

"Yea I'll be fine. Are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I can be."

"As long as we stick together I'll be fine."

"Me too."

With that they were suddenly rushed out by the Avoxs into the busy streets of the Capital. People swarmed around them, but the Avoxs moved with speed and suddenly they were both inside the building known to be the Tributes Tower. The Tributes Tower was were all other Tributes would stay and train for the Games, it was either a way of making friends or enemies. As they were rushed down the hall Kurt could see the faces of the other Tributes matching the look of fear Blaine had shown on his face earlier. Kurt understood why they were, but he couldn't be afraid anymore. He had excepted his fate, and was ready to fight and win.


	7. The Struggle

It was 5:30 and Kurt and Blaine entered the training arena not wanting to make Sue angry by being late. The walls of the rooms were covered in assorted weapons and training equipment. Kurt felt his gut twist, he knew that this was going to be a lot of work. He looked over to Blaine, a movement he had grown accustomed to in the past few hours, to see his reaction to the room. To his surprise, Blaine actually looked excited to be in the room, he could see how Blaine scanned the room for the one weapon that could act as an extension of his own arm. When Blaine's eyes landed on the axe at the top corner of the wall to their left his eyes lit up and he smiled wide. It was then when Blaine looked at Kurt, still with a smile on his face, he grabbed Kurt's shoulders and said, "Ready to work hard?"

Kurt smiled back, "Of course, all I need is that amazing set of bow and arrows over there and we'll be set." They stood there smiling at each other, then the lights suddenly turned off.

Kurt let out a squeal that was quite embarrassing and moved closer to Blaine. Blaine laughed quietly and whispered, "It's ok Kurt, that was just Sue, I saw her come in just a few seconds ago."

As he finished speaking, one singular light popped up in the middle of the arena where Sue suddenly stood. She wore a black jumpsuit and looked prepared to work the two young men hard.

"Porcelain, Hobbit, this will be the hardest day of work in your young pathetic lives. I will not be impressed with either of you until I see the same amount of stamina I had the day I was born. Got it?"

Kurt and Blaine nodded their heads in silence, afraid to say anything to the intimidating woman that stood before them.

"We are lucky today because usually everyone gets the training arena for 3 hours, but I scared everyone into letting us have the whole day. They can find somewhere else to train. So tell me, what weapons are your strong suites?"

"I can work an Axe." Blaine said with confidence, ready to show Sue his talent.

"Of course you can, that's all I ever get these days: Axe workers. And you Porcelain?"

"I was a guard."

"So the bow and arrow huh? That can be very useful, if you're good…"

"Oh he's really good! One of the best in town actually…though no one will admit it." Blaine interjected. Kurt was surprised by this because Blaine had never seen him shoot before.

"How do you know that Blaine? You've never seen me shoot before…"

"I have actually. You know how every year the guards have an examination to see if they can still do the job?"

"Yeah..?"

"I had the day off the last examination. I decided to stop by and watch the guards shoot at the targets, because I always thought it was kind of cool. I saw you that day, I… I thought you were really impressive Kurt. You hit every target and you weren't even trying. It was beautiful to watch and I was a little jealous that you got such an amazing job. I also know that you received the best score that day…no one told you though." Blaine looked down and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I guess I'm the one who gets to tell you now. You are amazing Kurt. Seriously." He looked up gave Kurt a smile that made his heart flutter. No one has ever told him something like that in his life, and it meant a lot that it was Blaine complimenting him. He smiled back at Blaine and he saw Blaine's eyes light up.

Their moment was ruined when Sue cleared her throat, "Ok so if you two are done having your bonding moment, we have to get to work. So get ready."

Kurt and Blaine moved to get their weapons from their spots on the wall.

"Did I say to get your weapons?"

Kurt and Blaine stop in their tracks.

"Well what did you mean when you said get ready?" Blaine asked moving away from the wall of weapons.

"Well its obvious that you both know how to use your weapons, but who's to say that you will always have them? You are going to learn to fight hand to hand."

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other, then back at Sue.

"Who are we going to fight now?" Kurt asked, already knowing the answer.

Sue smiled, "Each other. Now get yourselves into the ring"

Kurt and Blaine made their way to the ring unsure of what was going to happen.

"Kurt you get on the left side of the ring, Blaine you get the right."

Kurt and Blaine stood opposite each other in the ring, they both locked eyes knowing what was about to happen. Kurt was nervous, but excited at the same time, he knew it meant nothing but it would probably be the only time he would get to be this physically close to Blaine.

Sue blew her whistle "Fight!"

All of a sudden Blaine rushed at Kurt with a playful smile, and Kurt moved quickly out of the way. Blaine kept trying to ram himself at Kurt, but Kurt was so quick that Blaine could never touch him. Their fight turned into a game of Blaine rushing with all of his force at Kurt, and then Kurt maneuvering out of the way gracefully.

Sue blew her whistle and the two boys stopped in their tracks, both out of breath. Blaine looked at Kurt impressed, "You're good." Kurt was going to reply when Sue cut him off.

"Yes, that's nice and all that Porcelain can dodge the lumberjack, but I need you guys to actually touch each other. Kurt I need you to stop playing the defensive and actually take a swing at Blaine."

Kurt swallowed and nodded, nervous about actually trying to fight Blaine now. He knew he was fast and could avoid Blaine's swings, but he knew he wasn't nearly strong enough to cause any damage to Blaine, let alone anyone else.

"Blaine you need to be more subtle in your attacks, Kurt knows exactly where you are coming from, and can avoid your advances easily. If you rely more on your skill then on your strength you might be able to get him. I want you both to actually try, no hurting each other too bad I need you both in great condition at the beginning of the games."

Sue blew the whistle and the two boys rushed at each other, determined to impress their coach. Kurt connected with Blaine at his right soldier and he fell to the ground. He grabbed his shoulder surprised by how much the contact had hurt, he looked up to Blaine and saw that he was already lowering himself down to pin Kurt to the ground. Kurt quickly rolled out of the way and jumped to his feet. Blaine might have been strong but Kurt was definitely faster, and he grabbed Blaine's shoulders from behind and with all his might forced him to the ground. Behind him he could hear Sue yelling insults at the both of them, telling them to try harder. They were both breathing heavily as Blaine struggled to get up and Kurt tried with all his might to keep him down. Kurt wanting to get a hold of his opponent kept his shoulders down and straddled his stomach. As fast as he did this, Blaine got his arm free, grabbed the back of Kurt's head and slammed his forehead against his own. Kurt fell off of Blaine in pain, and suddenly Blaine was on top of him doing the exact same thing Kurt was doing only moments before, but this time keeping his hands at Kurt's wrists so he could not perform the same move.

Kurt tried with all his might to get free of Blaine's grasp, but Blaine was too strong for him. Kurt heard Sue count to three and the match was over. Out of breath he stopped trying to fight Blaine and waited from him to get off. Blaine smiled down at Kurt, patted his shoulder and said, "Good match Kurt." and then got off.

Blaine got up and helped the other up. Sue didn't say anything until they were both standing and giving her their full attention.

"I've seen better."

Kurt looked at Blaine and frowned, it was the first time he tried to fight anyone really, and he thought it went well.

"You two wrestled, except for the hit Eyebrows gave you with his head Porcelain there were no punches thrown. I need you both to know how to pack a punch."

Sue went to a corner of the room and rolled out two dummies. She placed one in front of Blaine and the other in front of Kurt. For the next several hours Sue taught them the proper stance and technique of punching and kicking. At the end of their session Kurt and Blaine had nearly become experts. It was getting close to 8 pm and the two boys were exhausted and ready to go back to their rooms and sleep.

"Ok guys now you get to fight one more time." Sue said looking at them with pleased eyes.

The two boys looked at each other, seeing how tired they were, and took a unanimous breath.

"Get in the ring."

Kurt and Blaine took their positions. Kurt was excited this time, for they both knew how to fight and defend, he wasn't sure how it would play out but all he knew was that he was ready.


End file.
